Calamus guruba

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A rattan. It can be climbing or form thickets. The stems are in clusters. The canes can be 20 m long and 3 cm across. The leaf sheath is dull green. It has light brown hairs. It has spines 3.5 cm long that point upwards. The leaf shoots are 1.3 m long and there are 30-65 narrow leaflets on each side. They are arranged regularly. The flowering shoots are 3 m long. The fruit are round and 0.8 cm across. They are yellow or brown.

There are 375-400 Calamus species. There are 175 species in tropical Asia. The cane is used for baskets and furniture.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. In Laos it grows in scrub forest often near rivers. It grows between 100-750 m altitude. It can be up to 1,200 m above sea level. It grows in lowland rain forest and in dry forest. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The spiny stem is removed and the young pith cooked with shrimp. The pulp of the ripe fruit is eaten.

Edible parts

Shoots, fruit

How it is grown

In India fruit are produced March to December.

Its other names

Local names

Chikan bet, Dute bet, Jali bet, Kanta beta, Kyaing ni, Kyein-ne, Kyein-ni, Sundi bet, Teeta bet, Wai deng, Wai kikai

Synonyms

Calamus mastersianus Griff.; Calamus multirameus Ridl.; Calamus nitidus Mart.; Daemonorops guruba (Buch.-Ham. ex Mart) Mart.; Daemonorops guruba (Buch.-Ham. ex Mart.) Mart. var. hamiltonianus (Griff.) Mart.; Daemonorops guruba (Buch.-Ham. ex Mart.) Mart. var. mastersianus (Griff.) Mart.; Palmijuncus guruba (Buch.-Ham. ex Mart.) Kuntze; Palmijuncus nitidus (Mart.) Kuntze;